Traveling Italy With Milani Cosmetics Lipstick

Texas in August...a time when attempting to look pulled together is more fantasy than reality. Makeup melts off your face in protest of the heat, your blow drier was forced into early retirement, and the looser, the better when it comes to getting dressed.

With the dog days of summer in full swing, a gal can't help but daydream about a way to make a great escape. Where do I go, you ask? Back to Italy, where I consume gallons of gelato without a morsel of guilt, smooch my hubby on the banks of the Arno where we first met, and play games of chicken with the motorini whooshing down narrow streets at unreal speeds.
Although we're saving a trip back to Florence for our 10 year anniversary, there's no reason why I can't channel a little bit of la dolce vita with some gorgeous lipsticks - inspired by some of my favorite Italian destinations - from my (heavily) air-conditioned confines in Texas.

Experiment with artistic shades like this bright purple Milani Color Statement Lipstick in Violet Volt in the city that was an epicenter for the masters of Renaissance art. Not to mention cheering on the Firenze Viola at the top of your lungs. Forza Viola! I was really frightened of this one at first, but it actually turned out to be my favorite! This just proves the theory that I love anything and everything about Florence. ;)

For just under $6 a tube, these lipsticks are such a fun way to brighten your summer beauty routine without having to worry about creasing eyeshadow, smearing eyeliner, and melting foundation. What are you go-to lipstick colors?!

You are just made for lipstick! Every hue works on you and always looks flawless. I feel like lipstick always make me look dry and/or starts to creep off my lips (even with lipliner). I always feel like a broken-down clown. What are your secrets?!

As for Florence, it is a magical place. We took my mom there on a road trip a couple years back, arriving right at rush hour time, and she thought we were going to die. The complete disregard for lanes - and rules of the road in general - and those suicidal scooters had her snapping photos of the madness, sure it would be her last memory. ;)